Alien Redemption Reviews
★★★★★
5 out of 5
A fantastic SciFi space novel!
Alien Redemption by Gloria Oliver is a fascinating deep space novel about a woman with a past that haunts her and has made her a pariah amongst those around her, so she tries to disguise herself in the hopes of being able to slip under the radar of anyone who may know her so that she can get a job. What she’s not prepared for is for the captain of the ship she applies to recognize her and then proceed to blackmail her into his service. The path ahead is fraught with dangers, but what choice does she have if she wants to stay alive and keep her secrets?
Alien Redemption is the first book that I have read by Gloria Oliver and this book truly fascinated me. The author gives me the main character with a hidden past, and a desire to redeem herself for those mistakes. My curiosity is immediately piqued as I want to learn more about what happened, but then the author hands me an unscrupulous captain who shows that he’s not above doing shady things to his own crew if they so much as displease him in the slightest. My emotions are brought to the forefront constantly throughout this book. My curiosity towards Claudia’s past, then my anger and disgust towards the Captain at how low he will go and how he truly views those who are aboard his ship. Like Claudia, I thought that my disgust and disdain for him could not go any lower, but the author proves us both wrong when they come across the mysterious planet with the unique alien beings.
I was absolutely delighted with the amount of detail that the author gives me concerning the planet and then the sentient alien beings themselves. I could picture their vivid colors in my mind, and my heart just grew fit to burst for them as Claudia goes about trying to do her best by and for them, despite the contemptible demands of the captain. I feel for Claudia as she goes about doing what she can and trying to find a way out of the dilemma that she has found herself in. I couldn’t help but smile at some of the interactions that she has with some of the aliens as well.
There honestly isn’t much that I can complain about concerning this book. The author has written it very well and knows how to pull readers deeper into the storyline as they go along. While I truly despise the captain himself there is always that one character in a story that you have to hate and let me tell you…he fits the bill perfectly.
I am rating this book 5 out of 5 stars. I look forward to reading more of this author’s work in the future as she has truly proven that she has a way with words and painting a vivid picture. If you enjoy science fiction novels with the discovery of new sentient beings and the question of morals then this is a good book to pick up. I would recommend this book for those who are 17+ as it does contain some sexual references.
★★★★★
5 out of 5
How far will he go?
Claudia unhappily was meeting a prospective employer at the seedy Turbic Station bar, dark inside and bad-smelling from smoke and bodies. She was low on money and looking for a new start as a medical officer on a merchant ship in the Fringes. She had few other options since she could not risk them doing a background check on her and her ID was fake. So a job on a ship was her best chance of success. She was there to meet Captain Ricardo Bennet and found a man who rudely did all he could to ignore her. She introduced herself as Aya Maynard. He judged her as educated, entitled, and moral – as if it were a dirty word. Then he told her he knew who she was and if she tried to leave, he would yell out her name for all to hear! Knowing she was overqualified for his ship job, making her work for him would mean he was getting a great bargain, so he blackmailed her into taking the job.
Seeing the MedBay for the first time made Claudia feel she had hit rock-bottom. Equipment was ancient, at least 30 years out of date. Tape covered all the cracked plastic on the surfaces, and the room smelled stale. She fixed what equipment she could by running their diagnostic programs. Her first patient was the Engineer Dubrai who fixed the examination table that wasn’t working before she got to ask him about his ailment. He had a calcium buildup in his joints which medication could easily fix. The captain even commented that he saw him later dancing around the room! Later when one of the crew came at Claudia with a knife to make her open the drug cabinets, the Captain caught him and severely beat him. Claudia was not allowed to treat him, and the Captain took bets with the officers on whether the man would survive the night! His disappointment the next day was only that the man caused his own death after they left port, so the Captain would be short a crew member!
Because Captain Bennet has no morals and a bad temper, Claudia continued to avoid him whenever possible. Talk of a secret mission starts, and they end up in an uncharted system in the Fringes. There they find intelligent life which the captain plans to use to his own advantage, putting the sentient Avians they discovered into servitude. Can Claudia stop him from exploiting the new species? Or will she be putting her own life into further danger instead?
This was an interesting story, first raising the reader’s curiosity about whatever Claudia did that let the Captain blackmail her. Then throughout the rest of the pages, the author slowly built up the reprehensible Captain by showing the reader all the cruelty he freely dispensed on others. Keeping the reader’s emotions in turmoil was very effective in setting the tone and making it obvious how far the Captain would go to get his way and how little he cared about even his own crew – so a new species would not generate any kindness either. The story was done well. Grab your copy and see whether Claudia will get involved and if anyone will back her up if she does. Be ready for the excitement!
★★★★★
5 out of 5
First contact and redemption rolled into one.
A fun first contact read with plenty of action, some blackmail, and a struggle for redemption that will keep you glued to each page.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
★★★★★
5 out of 5
Emotional roller coaster!
Hard-hitting and suspenseful. Full of gritty characters. It is a satisfying science fiction read with just enough edge to be unique.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
★★★★★
5 out of 5
Alien Redemption by Gloria Oliver is a science fiction novel about mankind’s discovery of an alien race. The story follows Claudia, a doctor who has been disgraced within her profession. In her efforts to escape her past, she ends up working on a merchant spaceship called the Holiday, under the nefarious Captain Bennet. They fly across the galaxy to a planet that is home to a previously undiscovered intelligent race of beings. Claudia is intrigued at the discovery, anxious to learn from them and protect them. Captain Bennet, on the other hand, has evil plans for the beings that have humanoid bodies along with wings and feathers. Claudia soon finds herself their sole caretaker and protector, even as the Captain kidnaps them and forces them into a despicable life of servitude.
I found Alien Redemption to be one of the most original science fiction novels I’ve ever read. The story is simple yet nearly perfect in its execution. Gloria Oliver’s style of writing is fluid and very natural. I was easily carried away within the story as I turned the pages. The characters are believable and real. Claudia is so well fleshed out that I found myself fully invested in her thoughts and dilemmas. Many of the other characters were equally effective, especially Captain Bennet and the First Mate, Stevens. The most stunning story element of Alien Redemption is the avians, the name most often used for the aliens. I won’t give away any story details here, but suffice it to say, they’re handled very differently than aliens are in most other sci-fi stories. Alien Redemption is a fresh and satisfying science fiction read that I am happy to recommend.